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Undead
The Undead were once-living creatures that had been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces. Some deities employed undead as divine servants; for example, the dwarven god Dumathoin used undead dwarves as divine messengers. Undead were extremely resilient to a number of effects and substances that were extremely harmful to the living. They were immune to: all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, . paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. In addition, it was not possible to drain their life force in any manner. Origins of undeath There were six basic ways a living creature can become undead: ;Purposeful personal reanimation: : A living creature willingly underwent the transformation to undeath. In most cases, the creature possessed a disposition towards evil, but that was not always the case. More common reasons included fear of dying of old age, fear of dying from a grievous wound and a thirst for power. ;Minions: : An intelligent creature created undead servants as a mean to their own ends. These mindless minions were created by malevolent spellcasters to serve as guards or otherwise carry out their bidding. }} ;Atrocity calls to unlife: : A living creature committed an evil and heinous act that transformed into an undead creature. The intensity and specificity of the required act was somewhat random and not entirely uncommon. ;Unfinished Business: : An intelligent creature died or was killed with an important deed left incomplete. In a similar manner to atrocities, the specifications surrounding undeath achieved in this manner were often left up to chance. ;The Dark Curse: : Malign forces created undead beings seemingly at random. This had the potential to befell any creature, at any location and seemingly at any time. ;Death by wounds caused by another undead: : Many forms of undead creatures inflicted their undeath upon others when striking them with a mortal wound. Perhaps most famously, this occurred in the cast of vampires and their bite. Types of Undead Skeletal *Liches ** Lich ** Demilich * Revived fossil *Skeletons ** Skeleton ** Minotaur skeleton ** Warhorse skeleton Corporeal * Angel of decay * Atropal scion * Blaspheme * Bleakborn * Blood amniote * Bloodmote cloud * Bone Naga * Bone rat swarm * Boneyard * Brain in a jar * Cinderspawn * Corpse rat swarm * Crawling Claw * Deathlock * Death Knight * Desiccator * Dracolich * Entomber * Entropic reaper * Forsaken shell * Ghast * Ghoul * Grave dirt golem * Hulking corpse * Mummies ** Mummy ** Mummy lord * Necromental * Necropolitan * Nightshade ** Nighthaunt ** Nightwalker * Plague blight * Raiment * Skin kite * Skirr * Skulking cyst * Slaymate * Tomb mote *Vampires ** Vampire ** Vampire spawn * Visage * Wheep * Wight * Will-o'-wisp *Zombies ** Zombie ** Ogre zombie ** Beholder zombie Incorporeal * Crypt chanter * Dream vestige * Ghost * Murk * Quell * Shadows ** Shadow ** Shadow assassin * Spectral lyrist * Specters ** Specter ** Poltergeist * Wraith Appendix Further Reading AD&D 1e * * AD&D 2e * 3e * * * 3.5e * References